Percussion

The drum provides the base line and the rhythm that the dances follow.

One drum that is used is called the jembe (spelled djembe in French writing). This drum is on the verge of achieving world status as a percussion instrument, rivaled in popularity perhaps only by the conga and steel pan.

It first made an impact outside West Africa in the 1950s due to the world tours of Les Ballets Africains led by the Guinean Fodeba Keita. In the few decades succeeding this initial exposure the, jembe was known internationally only to a small exclusive clique of musicians and devotees of African music and dance.

In the U.S. interest in the jembe centered around Ladji Camara, a member of Les Ballets Africains in the 1950s, who since the 1960s has trained a generation of American players. Worldwide, a mere handful of LP recordings were released up to the mid-1980s, most containing just a few selections of jembe playing.